This invention relates to a fall protection assembly and more particularly to a safety lanyard connected between a body harness and a fixed horizontal support member for stopping the inadvertent fall of a person from a normal supporting surface.
Heretofore, fall protection assemblies have been provided including a lanyard having an end hook for connection to a D-ring on the lanyard. A hook which is received within a D-ring permits relative sliding movement between the hook and D-ring which may provide a side loading on the hook from the D-ring. The hook normally includes a releasable latch which permits connection of the D-ring to the hook in a snap fit. If the D-ring rides along the hook to the latch on the hook and exerts a side loading against the hook, it is possible that the D-ring could be inadvertently released by the latch. It is desirable that any side loading of the hook from a connecting ring be eliminated.
The present invention is particularly directed to a lanyard formed of a flat web strap for supporting a workman from a separate support upon an inadvertent fall of the workman from a normal supporting surface. The lanyard is connected to a body harness about the workman and extends from the harness to a separate horizontal safety support member for support of the workman therefrom upon an inadvertent fall of the workman. The lanyard which normally comprises a flat web strap has a slider member on the strap having a pair of parallel rectangular openings receiving the strap. The slider member is positioned at a predetermined location on the lanyard for positioning the eye-member for connection to a hook on the extending end of the lanyard. The eye member has a V-shaped eye opening to receive the hook. The V-shaped eye opening is formed by a pair of straight converging sides which intersect in an arcuate apex having a relatively small width to provide a snug fit between the hook and the V-shaped eye member and to eliminate any side loading. The slider member has a generally rectangular shape and a center bar or divider defines the pair of generally rectangular parallel openings. The lanyard is passed through the rectangular openings over the center bar to permit selected adjustment of the slider member and eye member along the length of the flat strap. The eye member for connection to the hook has a divider pin or bar and a pair of opposed openings on opposed sides of the divider. One of the openings in the eye-member is the V-shaped eye opening and the other opening is of a generally rectangular shape to receive the lanyard therein after it passes through one of the rectangular openings in the slider. When the lanyard is in an assembled position, the slider member and the eye member are in contact relation to each other and are held together by the web strap. The hook is received in the V-shaped eye opening in the eye member and exerts an axial pull on the hook thereby to minimize any side loading and prevent inadvertent removal of the eye member from the hook.
It is an object of the invention to provide a fall protection assembly to stop the fall of a workman including a lanyard between a body harness and a fixed horizontal support member.
A further object of the invention is to provide such a lanyard looped over the fixed horizontal support member and having an end hook received within a V-shaped eye opening to eliminate any side loading exerted against the hook from the eye member.
A further object of the invention is the provision of such a lanyard in which a slider member is mounted on the lanyard and used in combination with the V-shaped eye member with the slider member permitting adjustment of the eye member along the length of the lanyard with divider bars on the slider member and eye member defining adjacent rectangular openings receiving the lanyard.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and drawings.